CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was abruptly forced to evacuate live on air during a missile alert in Israel, as tensions in the Middle East escalated following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Cooper was broadcasting from a balcony in Tel Aviv early Monday morning, alongside chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward and Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond, when air raid sirens began to sound, signaling an incoming threat.
The trio was discussing the rapidly evolving Israel-Iran conflict when their phones received emergency alerts warning of an imminent missile strike.
As the sirens wailed in the background, Ward said: “We’re now hearing an alert,” prompting Cooper to explain the situation to viewers.
“These are the alerts that go out on everyone’s phones when you're in Israel,” Cooper said, via CNN. “It’s a 10-minute warning of incoming missiles or something incoming from Iran.”
Cooper added that their location was equipped with a verbal alarm system instructing people to take shelter, and that they had only minutes to reach a nearby bomb shelter. Despite the danger, he asked his crew whether they could continue filming during the evacuation.
“We’ll continue to try to broadcast from the bomb shelter,” Cooper said, his voice noticeably tense. “And even if we can, on the way down.”
A hotel announcement soon confirmed the urgency, warning guests to prepare for a strike within 10 minutes: “Dear guests, we expect an alarm in the next 10 minutes.”
The CNN team safely made their way to a shelter, continuing coverage as much as possible during the evacuation. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later confirmed that a missile was launched from Iran but was successfully intercepted, with no injuries reported, per The Washington Post.
The missile threat followed a major military escalation the day prior, when U.S. President Donald Trump authorized strikes on several of Iran’s nuclear facilities as part of “Operation Midnight Hammer.”
The move, made in coordination with Israel, prompted retaliatory threats from Tehran and increased fears of a broader regional conflict.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump defended the strike and signaled possible further action, writing: “It’s not politically correct to use the term ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a regime change? MIGA!!”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has since vowed a response, and military analysts warn that Tehran could retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passage for global oil shipments.
Any such move could trigger a direct confrontation with the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which is stationed in the region to keep the strait open.
With global powers on high alert and tensions rising by the hour, the world now watches closely for Iran’s next move.